Brian McKnight’s ex-wife, Julie McKnight, has argued that the R&B singer has no grounds to sue her for defamation. Brian filed the lawsuit on April 21 of this year. Julie argued that he cannot hold her responsible for damaging his own public reputation.
Brian McKnight’s ex-wife Julie argues he damaged his own reputation as she fights his defamation lawsuit
The Grammy-nominated singer filed the lawsuit in Georgia, naming Julie, his son Brian McKnight Jr., and several news outlets and interviewers as defendants. In the lawsuit, he accused them of profiting from a “tragic family death.” Brian alleged that they used his son Niko’s death to create a “sensational but false narrative.” He claimed the narrative falsely portrayed him as a “cruel” father who had abandoned his family. He also alleged that they engaged in “malicious character assassination,” reports People.
Earlier this month, Julie filed an answer to Brian’s lawsuit raising several affirmative defenses. According to TMZ, she argued that Brian’s reputation had already suffered because of his own actions. Julie described this as “pre-existing self-inflicted reputational damage.” Julie alleged that Brian had already harmed his reputation through his own conduct. She argued that, as a result, her statements could not have caused the additional reputational harm alleged in his lawsuit
Julie cited several past incidents to support her argument. She claimed that Brian referred to his children as “products of sin” and “evil” in 2023. She also pointed to a defamation lawsuit filed against him by his daughter in 2020. Julie argued that these incidents were already public and that they showed Brian’s relationships with his children were strained.
The singer and his former wife married in 1989 before divorcing in 2003. According to the complaint, they later signed a settlement agreement in 2014. The agreement bars both of them from making negative comments about one another.
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
